Bedřich Smetana - String Quartets No. 1 in E minor "From My Life" and No. 2 in D minor
Antonín Dvořák - String Quartets No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 51 "Slavonic," No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 "American" and No. 13 in G major, Op. 106
Josef Suk - Meditation On an Old Czech Hymn "St. Wenceslas" Op. 35a
Vítězslav Novák - String Quartet No. 2 in D major, Op. 35
Leoš Janáček - String Quartet No. 1 "The Kreutzer Sonata" and No. 2 "Intimate Letters"

The Smetana Quartet, The Panocha Quartet, The Škampa Quartet

The string quartet is a genre that was neglected by few great composers of the Romantic era, and the Czech masters contributed a number of significant works to its international repertoire. Smetana's quartet "From My Life," Dvořák's "American" quartet and Janáček's "Intimate Letters" rank among the mature works of their composers and have become essential repertoire for quartets throughout the world. Furthermore, Dvořák and Suk founded an uninterrupted interpretational tradition which gave rise to a number of world-famous Czech ensembles. A direct line of descent can be traced from the Smetana Quartet, which has performed Smetana's music on hundreds of concert stages, to the Panocha Quartet, which has recorded a highly esteemed recording of the complete Dvořák quartets, and also to the Škampa Quartet, whose Janáček seethes with inimitable raw energy.

This compilation offers the best-known works of the Czech quartet repertoire performed by the greatest masters of the art.

CD 1
1    String Quartet No. 1 in E minor ('Z mého, zivota,' 'From My Life'), JB 1:105: 1. Allegro vivo appassionato
2    String Quartet No. 1 in E minor ('Z mého, zivota,' 'From My Life'), JB 1:105: 2. Allegro moderato á la polka
3    String Quartet No. 1 in E minor ('Z mého, zivota,' 'From My Life'), JB 1:105: 3. Largo sostenuto
4    String Quartet No. 1 in E minor ('Z mého, zivota,' 'From My Life'), JB 1:105: 4. Vivace
5    String Quartet No. 2 in D minor, JB 1:124: 1. Allegro
6    String Quartet No. 2 in D minor, JB 1:124: 2. Allegro moderato - Andante cantabile
7    String Quartet No. 2 in D minor, JB 1:124: 3. Allegro non più moderato, ma agitato e con fuoco
8    String Quartet No. 2 in D minor, JB 1:124: 4. Finale. Presto
9    String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): 1. Allegro, ma non troppo
10    String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): 2. Dumka (Elegia). Andante con moto - Vivace
11    String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): 3. Romanza. Andante con moto
12    String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major, B. 92 (Op. 51): 4. Finale. Allegro assai

CD 2
1    String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): 1. Allegro, ma non troppo
2    String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): 2. Lento
3    String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): 3. Molto vivace
4    String Quartet No. 12 in F major ('American'), B. 179 (Op. 96): 4. Finale. Vivace, ma non troppo
5    String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): 1. Allegro moderato
6    String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): 2. Adagio, ma non troppo
7    String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): 3. Molto vivace
8    String Quartet No. 13 in G major, B. 192 (Op. 106): 4. Finale. Andante sostenuto - Allegro con fuoco
9    Meditation on an Old Czech Hymn 'St. Wenceslas' for strings/string quartet, Op 35a

CD 3
1    String quartet No 2 in D major, Op 35: 1. Fuga. Largo misterioso
2    String quartet No 2 in D major, Op 35: 2. Fantasia. Allegro passionato ma non troppo presto - Quasi scherzo. Allegretto moderato, ben
3    String Quartet No. 1 ('Kreutzer Sonata'), JW 7/8: 1. Adagio. Con moto
4    String Quartet No. 1 ('Kreutzer Sonata'), JW 7/8: 2. Con moto
5    String Quartet No. 1 ('Kreutzer Sonata'), JW 7/8: 3. Con moto. Vivo. Andante
6    String Quartet No. 1 ('Kreutzer Sonata'), JW 7/8: 4. Con moto. Adagio. Maestoso
7    String Quartet No. 2 ('Listy duverné,' 'Intimate Letters'), JW 7/13: 1. Andante
8    String Quartet No. 2 ('Listy duverné,' 'Intimate Letters'), JW 7/13: 2. Adagio
9    String Quartet No. 2 ('Listy duverné,' 'Intimate Letters'), JW 7/13: 3. Moderato
10    String Quartet No. 2 ('Listy duverné,' 'Intimate Letters'), JW 7/13: 4. Allegro